Astrid's Journey
by Kitzzza
Summary: Fanfic for 2003 anime. Astrid meets Greed after a sword-crook lead her to the Devil's Nest. It's not any regular sword she wants back. Its the legendary Philosopher's Swords. After seeing the tremendous power Astrid holds, her and Greed become strong "allies" in the fight between them and Dante. But Astrid has a dark secret...does she dare tell Greed she is Dante's daughter?


Astrid felt like she was drowning as she gasped for air. Dodging people on the cracked sidewalks of Dublith, the woman frantically pushed her long, ebony hair back. She slowed only for a moment to wipe the salty sweat that was dripping into her unnatural violet eyes, but immediately picked up the pace after. It didn't help that it was so hot that day. Well, hot is an understatement. It was _scorching._ And unfortunately for Astrid, she was wearing her usual completely black outfit with long pants and a long-sleeved jacket. The only thing that wasn't dark as ink on her was a pair of sleek, gleaming vermillion shoes. Except for they were boots. Thick, knee-high snug boots. It was not Astrid's best day to be chasing a thief. Her legs ached and her shoulders felt as if they were going to snap off. _If I stop now, I won't get my sword back,_ Astrid thought. _And If I lose my strongest weapon I've got, I'll be completely screwed._

As difficult as it was, Astrid used her powerful legs to pick up the her pace. She caught a glimpse of the culprit ahead. They wore a blue hood and dark jeans. Astrid engrained the outfit into her memory, to make it easier to spot them in the small crowds. The street seemed to get narrower as she pursued the person. As they came to a dead end, Astrid as assumed the unknown crook would be forced to halt when they got there. They instead took a sharp turn to the right. The woman's eyebrows furrowed and she swore under her breath as she saw the alley the sword-thief went through. Astrid continued once more to sprint, even though she felt extremely light headed.

Astrid stopped. She suddenly looked around. She clenched her sharp teeth as she searched the area. A bucket of panic and anger flowed through the female. She breathed loudly, trying to make up for all the running she did. Even for Astrid, who had the manliest chiseled arms and iron clad abs, it was a lot of exercise. The person, whoever they were, was a rapid runner. _This can not be happening,_ Astrid thought. Unexpectedly she heard a few swift footsteps coming from behind her. She violently whipped her head around to catch a look at a bit of a sky blue jacket the that entered a tiny bar. _It's him,_ Astrid silently confirmed. _That's the exact same shade of blue I saw on their jacket before._

The yellow sign above the opening said, in thin red letters, "The Devil's Nest." The paint was peeling off the wooden sign and it looked as if it would fall off the brick wall above the door any second. Astrid made a tiny smirk with her thin, pale pink lips.

"Well this place doesn't look shady at all," she stated sarcastically. Not like she really cared though, all she wanted was her sword back. She rapidly trekked down the crumbling stone stairs, making her way to the dark green door. Grasping on to the bronze door knob, she swiftly turned it. Astrid then pushed open the door to enter the noisy bar. _They've got to be in here,_ Astrid noted in her head. _They have no place to hide now._

The cramped bar was filled with the sounds of clinking beer glasses and the booming voices of the customers. The place was covered in a musty aroma of alcohol, which made Astrid cringe as nausea flooded into her body. As she closed the door behind her, she observed the scene. There they were. There was her thief, sitting the third seat down on the right end of the bar. Astrid squinted and trying to tune in on what was happening as she noticed her crook mumble something to the bartender. The females eyes widened and she took a short gasp when she took a look at the bartender. _What? That can't be that Kimblee guy can it?_ She thought. _The one from the newspapers...What is going on here?_ Astrid's mind was racing with confusion.

Finally, Kimblee and the unknown thief ceased their talk and the he lead the person into the back room. The watching female's eyes were glued to the sword. As casually as she could, Astrid snuck towards the entrance to the back room at the end of the bar. She paused, pressing her ear against the door she tried to hear what was happening. Astrid heard only silence.

"I'm going to get my sword back one way or another." Astrid growled as she swung open the wooden door. The thief and Kimblee were no where to be seen. Closing the door she entered the closet-sized room, which was lined with shelves of liquor. While she glanced up the shelves, Astrid felt something hard beneath her foot. The woman in black directed her eyes downward. Bingo. It was a hatch door.

Silently bending over, she pushed back her silky braided hair and lifted the heavy board, revealing a wide concrete tunnel. She sat on the dirty floor of the room and using her powerful arms, she slid down into the tunnel. The minute she hit the ground below her, Astrid sprinted forward without even thinking. She followed the sound of people talking, and ended up at two huge doors. The voices were coming from the other side of the doors. Astrid had to get in there, even if it meant making a big scene.

She first tried to push the doors open, but of course they wouldn't budge. The woman closed her purple eyes and sighed. As she squeezed her fists violently, Astrid felt the familiar warm glow coming from her hands. And when she opened her eyes, there it was again. The scarlet flames flickered on her numb fists.

BOOM! The thief and the gang turned their heads around. Through the dust and debris from the forceful bursting door they saw two glowing red eyes. Astrid flung her arm around, creating powerful winds that cleared the air. Astrid looked around and grinned as she saw all the shocked faces of the group.

"And who the hell are you?" said a condescending voice on Astrid's left. She turned around to see Greed. A tall man with spiky hair and round sunglasses. Astrid dimmed the fire from her eyes and fists. Her slitted cat-like eyes grow dark as she stared right back at him.

"I'm the cause of your death," she said showing her pointed teeth, "Well, if you don't give me back the Philosopher's sword that is."


End file.
